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Wednesday, 22 December 2010

Artwork of the day

‘The Diadoumenos’ belongs to the so-called High Classical period of the 5th century BC and demonstrates all the ‘qualities’ of the style: it shows the beauty of the ideal male nude, it has clear boundaries, a main frontal viewpoint, while its surfaces have been polished similarly to give the eye a sense of a homogeneous effect.

It is believed that the original Greek bronze was a work of the sculptor Polykleitos -one of the few artists whose name has survived in modern time- who was greatly admired for his skill. His statues have been prototypes for many other classical works both Greek and Roman and he is credited with the creation of basic characteristics of the so called Canon with the ideals for symmetry and beauty.

The Diadoumenos represents a young athlete just after his victory. Originally, the bronze, would probably be placed in a sanctuary, most likely to commemorate a victory.

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I was born in London where my parents took me to all the great museum of the town before I was one. I grew up in Athens, Greece where I live and the first books I read where about ancient Greek myths. It was not however until I was 20 that I decided to learn more about the past. I studied art history, history and archaeology and I'm passionate about everything that belongs to the past (ancient, medieval, early modern, modern)!